Occult god appellations refer to the various names and titles that are attributed to gods in occult and esoteric traditions. These appellations have significance and are often used in rituals, invocations, and magical practices. In many occult traditions, gods are seen as multifaceted beings, each possessing different aspects and powers. As a result, they are known by different names and epithets that reflect their particular attributes or energies. These names can vary across different cultures and belief systems, and may hold archaic or hidden meanings. The use of occult god appellations is deeply rooted in ancient religions and mythologies.
The use of occult god appellations is deeply rooted in ancient religions and mythologies. Many occultists draw from diverse sources including Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, and Sumerian mythology to invoke and work with different gods. Each god may have a primary appellation, but can also be addressed by various other names that signify specific qualities or roles.
Recognizing the Gods
In India, the aim of art was never to imitate nature or to re-create reality through illusionistic devices. Rather, the goal was to produce an idealized form. Sculptors did not model their images on living beings: whether the subject was a god or a mortal, the artist strove to convey a stylized ideal. The prototype for the female torso was the vajra, a double-headed divine thunderbolt, or the damaru, a waisted drum held by the god Shiva. Following such models specified in ancient texts, sculptors invariably produced an idealized female form with narrow waist, broad hips, and high, rounded breasts. The arms, shapely and elongated, were created to resemble the slender, pliant bamboo shoot. Eyes were modeled on the lotus petal or the fish. No specific attributes distinguish human from divine figures; gods and goddesses as well as ordinary men and women are equally sensuous in their portrayal. Given this standardized visual vocabulary, it is rare that the work of an individual sculptor with a distinctive aesthetic style emerges from the dozens of images carved on temple walls. Various hand gestures, known as mudras, are used to express the mood and meaning of divine images, whether Hindu, Jain, or Buddhist. A palm of the hand raised to face the worshipper is the gesture of protection (abhaya). A lowered hand with fingers pointing downward is the gesture of bestowing (varada). When thumb and index finger of the right hand are joined, it is an indication of teaching (vyakhyana). In the case of the Buddha, the left hand joins the right to create a two-handed gesture of preaching that is intended to recall the first sermon (dharmachakra). When a seated image has palms upward and placed within each other in the lap, it is the mudra of meditation (dhyana). Other mudras are specific in their application. Hindu and some Buddhist deities are associated with particular mounts or vehicles (vahanas). Thus Shiva rides the bull, the goddess Parvati rides the lion, and Vishnu rides the divine eaglelike Garuda. Each of the many minor deities has his or her own vehicle. An iconography manual enables a viewer to identify a god as, say, Agni by recognizing his vehicle, the ram. An image on a temple wall may be identified as divine by the presence of a vahana; in the case of a human image, no such vehicle is portrayed. The contrapposto pose, known in India as tribhanga, is a popular stance. In this somewhat exaggerated posture, the body bends in three places; the head and the lower limbs are angled in the same direction while the torso moves in the opposite angle. The tribhanga produces a sense of swaying movement, and most images are thus poised, whether of Shiva, the goddess Shakti, or of men and women who grace the walls of temples. The samabhanga, in which the body stands erect in a single alignment, is used for Vishnu and for Jain images. The deities may be presented in a variety of seated postures (asanas) as well. Meditating gods—the Buddha, the jinas, Shiva—often sit in a special cross-legged lotus posture (padmasana). A number of deities, including Shiva and the goddess Parvati, sit on an elevated seat in a posture of ease known as lalitasana, with one leg bent to rest on the seat and the other leg pendant. Hindu Deities
The Hindu god Vishnu is distinguished by the war discus (chakra) and the conch-shell trumpet (shankha) that he holds in his hands. Vishnu wears a tall crown and rich jewelry and is often accompanied by his divine consort, Lakshmi, goddess of fortune. A theory of ten incarnations, or avatars, is associated with Vishnu, who is believed to have been born on earth on nine occasions; the tenth is yet to come. The most popular avatars are Rama, prince of Ayodhya, a model of a warrior-king, hero of the Ramayama epic, and Krishna, the cowherd prince, beloved of the cowherd girls of Brindavan and teacher of Arjuna in the famous philosophical poem Bhagavad Gita. The Hindu god Shiva carries a trident; he often has a serpent flung around him as a scarf and wears a skull and the crescent moon in the matted locks piled high upon his head. A third eye in his forehead signifies his all-seeing nature. Renowned as a great dancer, Shiva has the appellation Nataraja, “Lord of Dance.” Shiva is the great practitioner of yoga who spent aeons in meditation until he opened his eyes, saw the goddess Parvati, and fell in love with her. Parvati, the consort of Shiva, with the lion as her vehicle, is a major deity in her own right. As Durga, she slays demons whom the other gods are unable to control. One of her most celebrated feats is the destruction of the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Two other deities are considered their children. Elephant-headed Ganesha is the god who removes obstacles and is worshipped at the start of any undertaking; his vehicle is the mouse. Skanda, a warlike youth, rides the peacock. Buddhist Deities
The Buddha is usually portrayed wearing a monastic robe draped so as to cover both shoulders or to leave the right shoulder bare. The Buddha is said to have had thirty-two marks of superhuman perfection. The ushnisha, a cranial bump that signifies his divine knowledge, was transformed by artists into a hair knot, while the urna, a tuft of hair between the eyebrows, was depicted as a rounded mark. Elongated earlobes, indicating divine or elevated status, are given not only to the Buddha but also to all Hindu and Jain deities and to saintly figures. Images of the Jain tirthankaras (jinas) are similar to the Buddha; however, they have a shrivatsa emblem on the chest, are often unclothed, and do not have the ushnisha or urna. By the first century A.D., a new category of deity was introduced—a series of elevated beings known as bodhisattvas. They were on the threshold of buddhahood but chose to remain in this world in order to assist all beings toward salvation. Bodhisattvas became exceedingly important in the Buddhism of the Himalayan regions of Kashmir, Nepal, and Tibet and in the art of Southeast Asia. Each is recognized by his identifying attributes. Thus Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion) carries a lotus and has a small Buddha image adorning his crown, and Bodhisattva Maitreya (the Buddha of the Future) carries a water vessel and has a stupa in his crown. Goddesses, too, were introduced into this later Buddhism, and Tara, who holds a lotus, is one of the most deeply venerated. Himalayan Buddhism, especially that of Tibet, introduced some unique imagery. Ferocious deities are protectors of the Buddhist faith and devout Buddhist believers. Esoteric male-female figures in embrace are known as Yab-Yum, or “Father-Mother.” They represent the union of wisdom (female) and compassion (male), which results in supreme wisdom leading to salvation. Also popular in the medium of painting are mandalas intended for meditation; these esoteric diagrams of the cosmos center around a deity upon whom the devotee has chosen to meditate.
Citation
Dehejia, Vidya. “Recognizing the Gods.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gods/hd_gods.htm (February 2007)
Further Reading
Eck, Diana L. Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. 2d ed. Chamberburg, Pa.: Anima Books, 1985. Michell, George. The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms. Reprint. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988.
Additional Essays by Vidya Dehejia
- Dehejia, Vidya. “Hinduism and Hindu Art.” (February 2007)
- Dehejia, Vidya. “Buddhism and Buddhist Art.” (February 2007)
- Dehejia, Vidya. “South Asian Art and Culture.” (February 2007)
Related Essays
- Buddhism and Buddhist Art
- Cosmic Buddhas in the Himalayas
- Hinduism and Hindu Art
- Jain Sculpture
- South Asian Art and Culture
- The Art of the Mughals before 1600
- Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
- Cosmic Buddhas in the Himalayas
- Early Modernists and Indian Traditions
- Gandhara
- Internationalism in the Tang Dynasty (618–907)
- Jain Manuscript Painting
- Kings of Brightness in Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Art
- Kushan Empire (ca. Second Century B.C.–Third Century A.D.)
- Life of the Buddha
- Mauryan Empire (ca. 323–185 B.C.)
- Modern Art in India
- Musical Instruments of the Indian Subcontinent
- Nepalese Painting
- Nepalese Sculpture
- Poetic Allusions in the Rajput and Pahari Painting of India
- Postmodernism: Recent Developments in Art in India
- Pre-Angkor Traditions: The Mekong Delta and Peninsular Thailand
- The Rise of Modernity in South Asia
- Shunga Dynasty (ca. Second–First Century B.C.)
- Tibetan Buddhist Art
List of Rulers
- List of Rulers of South Asia
Chronology
- Central and North Asia, 500–1000 A.D.
- China, 1000–1400 A.D.
- Himalayan Region, 1000–1400 A.D.
- Himalayan Region, 1400–1600 A.D.
- Himalayan Region, 500–1000 A.D.
- South Asia, 1400–1600 A.D.
- South Asia, 1–500 A.D.
- South Asia: North, 1000–1400 A.D.
- South Asia: North, 500–1000 A.D.
- South Asia: South, 1000–1400 A.D.
- South Asia: South, 500–1000 A.D.
- Southeast Asia, 1400–1600 A.D.
- Southeast Asia, 1–500 A.D.
- Southeast Asia, 500–1000 A.D.
Keywords
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We start with “god”, because it is easiest to demonstrate. Weakest data first and building from there.
For example, the Egyptian god of the sun, Ra, is also known as Amun-Ra, Atum-Ra, and Ra-Horakhty, among others. Amun-Ra emphasizes his connection to hidden powers, Atum-Ra denotes his role as the creator, and Ra-Horakhty refers to him as the god of the rising sun. These different appellations allow practitioners to access different aspects of the god's energy and powers. In addition to ancient gods, occultists also work with deified concepts and entities. These abstract forces are often personified and given names to facilitate a deeper understanding and connection. For instance, the concept of divine knowledge is personified as the goddess Sophia in Gnosticism, while the concept of divine feminine power is personified as the goddess Lilith in some occult traditions. The use of occult god appellations serves multiple purposes. They not only enable practitioners to connect with specific energies and powers, but also allow for a more nuanced understanding of the divine. By invoking different names, occultists can access different traits, symbols, and aspects associated with a god, allowing for a deeper exploration and integration of divine forces in their spiritual practice. Overall, occult god appellations have a rich history and play an important role in occult and esoteric traditions. They serve as gateways to divine energies and can guide practitioners in their spiritual journey, enabling them to connect with and harness the power of various gods and concepts..
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